Here are a few of the many types of unconscious biases.
Affinity Bias
Favouring people who we feel we have a connection or similarity to.
For example, attended the same school/college/university, growing up in the same town, or reminding us of ourselves or someone we know and like.
This is sometimes referred to as ‘similar-to-me bias’, ‘mini-me syndrome’ or ‘in-group bias’. Gravitating towards people who are similar to us is deeply ingrained. We feel comfortable with the people we see as kindred spirits — or, at the very least, somewhat like us.
The Halo Effect
The Halo Effect occurs when we perceive something good about a person and let that ‘halo glow’ of that one thing colour our opinions of everything else about that person.
For example, if we notice that someone went to a highly regarded college where they received a certain high grade, or that someone had received a prestigious award, we tend to let this achievement influence how we see everything else about that person.
The Horns Effect
The Horns Effect is the opposite of the Halo effect and occurs when perception of someone is unduly influenced by one negative trait.
For example, if we don’t like the way someone dresses, we might assume they’re also lazy and unprofessional, even though professionalism and competence are not related to attire.
Another example might be a person’s attitude towards tattoos. There could be a Horns Effect, or possible an affinity bias.
Attribution Bias
Attribution bias affects how we assess other people and their achievements.
When assessing ourselves, we tend to think our achievements are direct results of our merit and personality; while our failings are the result of external factors, including other people that adversely affected us and prevented us from doing our best.
When it comes to assessing other people, however, we often think the opposite is true. We are more likely to consider the achievements of others as a result of luck or chance; and their failings as a result of their personality or behaviour.
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, focus on and remember information that aligns with our preconceived opinions.
If we make a judgement about a someone, we subconsciously look for evidence to back up our opinions. We want to believe we are right and that we have made the correct assessment them.
Conformity Bias
Conformity bias is the pressure to we feel to act according to the actions of others. The bias is due to our want to conform and please others around us.
This bias can be a problem in business settings, as it can lead to the formation of groupthink, where discussions become echo chambers of the same or similar views, or cultures and where decisions aren’t properly critiqued.